[MTK1]

As the former Governor said.

Vermont Gov. James Douglas is treating the situation like a crisis.

Without more working people, “we won't have tax revenue for anything other than public education and Medicaid,” Douglas said. “There'll be no money for anything else.”

The facts:

Highest number of High School graduates attending college out of state in the US with the highest number staying where they go to school.

Currently has the oldest US population.

Lowest birth rate in the US.

Most expensive US public colleges in the US. (VT spends more on prison's then education)

I would love to stay here but it is just so hard to get by. Both my girlfriend and I work 2 jobs and barely can pay the bills. We are both well educated and in our late 20's. I am from CT and she is from VT. Literally every single one of her friends from VT has left the state and we are leaving ourselves. We have actually been putting money aside for the last 2 years just to leave.

In my opinion nothing is going to change here.

Bottom line. Unless VT does something to try and keep its youth here. The state is doomed.

The New York Times ran a great article 5 years ago.

Vermont Losing Prized Resource as Young Depart

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/04/na...pagewanted=all

[RememberMee]

It must be very "flattering" for the young, old and in between to be called a "resource" just like lumber etc.. Everybody is a resource to be utilized by the ones at the top of the food chain. That's where the problem #1 lies.

[Fiddlehead]

Interesting. I think Vermont sounds very special, but this is a bit troubling. I cannot imagine that the state can support all the retirees without massive cuts to the other social services for the young over time. The working age to retired ratios seem quite important. Interesting example of unforeseen consequences of maintaining an idyllic, bucolic environment and becoming a liberal mecca over the last few decades.

I recall hearing a few years ago that San Francisco, another liberal mecca, had more dogs than kids.

Demography is a pretty huge issue, in my opinion.

[pauldorell]

Originally Posted by MTK1

Currently has the oldest US population.

Lowest birth rate in the US.

Most expensive US public colleges in the US. (VT spends more on prison's then education)

A couple of slight corrections:

Maine has a higher median age, and Florida, Iowa, Maine, Montana, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have higher percentages over the age of 65.

Pennsylvania and Maine both have a public college more expensive for in-state students than the University of Vermont.

By the way, Middlebury College is ranked #16 by US News under Best Value National Liberal Arts Colleges.

To be clear, I'm not saying Vermont doesn't need improvement.

[YtownGuy]

Originally Posted by pauldorell

A couple of slight corrections:

Maine has a higher median age, and Florida, Iowa, Maine, Montana, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have higher percentages over the age of 65.

Pennsylvania and Maine both have a public college more expensive for in-state students than the University of Vermont.

By the way, Middlebury College is ranked #16 by US News under Best Value National Liberal Arts Colleges.

To be clear, I'm not saying Vermont doesn't need improvement.

I don't deny that Middlebury College is a great liberal arts school, but it seems to me that it is more expensive than any public college.

It's also on the small side, about 2000 students, and so it can only do so much to draw significant numbers of young people to settle there after graduation.

[FrugalYankee]

No kidding. Middlebury? Wasn't that the college that for years had the distinction of being THE most expensive instituation of higher education in the entire US? Or was that Bennington?

Look at tuition and fees: over $50k!

Tuition & Fees | Middlebury

Currently they seem to be "only" in 21st place.
50 Most Expensive Colleges: Middlebury College - BusinessWeek

They must be slipping a few years ago they were in 10th place nationwide.
Middlebury 10th Most Expensive School | MiddBlog

Totally out of reach for most Vermonters. And it's private so no break for in-state or RSP/NEBHE.

And um - no offense - but it IS a liberal arts college. Not exactly a place where Vermonters go to get an education so they can get ahead. Take a look at the majors they offer - not too much you can do with those degrees in a state like Vermont.

[pauldorell]

Originally Posted by FrugalYankee

No kidding. Middlebury? Wasn't that the college that for years had the distinction of being THE most expensive instituation of higher education in the entire US? Or was that Bennington?

Look at tuition and fees: over $50k!

Tuition & Fees | Middlebury

Currently they seem to be "only" in 21st place.
50 Most Expensive Colleges: Middlebury College - BusinessWeek

They must be slipping a few years ago they were in 10th place nationwide.
Middlebury 10th Most Expensive School | MiddBlog

Totally out of reach for most Vermonters. And it's private so no break for in-state or RSP/NEBHE.

And um - no offense - but it IS a liberal arts college. Not exactly a place where Vermonters go to get an education so they can get ahead. Take a look at the majors they offer - not too much you can do with those degrees in a state like Vermont.

Middlebury is expensive, but gets a high "value" rating because of its academic quality. Many of their graduates have historically ended up making lots of $$$. As with the majority of rich private liberal arts colleges, you can probably get much more financial aid there than you could at a public university. Even if you can't get a Ph.D. in engineering there, you can still end up doing well in other fields. If you like environmental issues, you could study with Bill McKibben and end up in a key environmental job. If you like politics, you could be the next Jim Douglas (B.A., Middlebury). The problem is that it's small and highly selective.

Even if the Vermont government did everything right for the next 10 years, it's such a tiny state population-wise that I don't see a lot of jobs rolling in - unless they decide to do something really unpleasant like Nevada - legalize prostitution.

[GraniteStater]

New Hampshire is losing younger residents at a very fast rate as well, particularly the northern and central parts of the state. In fact, the small-scale organic and other farming operations in rural NH generally feature families with a higher number of kids. Everything else is geared very much toward retirees, locals, and tourists.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by pauldorell

Pennsylvania and Maine both have a public college more expensive for in-state students than the University of Vermont.

Penn State isn't technically a public college. It has a sorta kinda affiliation with the state.

Here are the 14 public colleges in Pennsylvania:

Welcome to the PA State System of Higher Education

Map

For comparison, Vermont's Castleton's tuition is $8928/year and Pennsylvania's tuition is $5,804/year for all state universities.

Non residents can attend Pennsylvania state universities for just a few thousand more per year than residents pay to attend Vermont's.

Castleton State College of Vermont

Tuition Rates - All Items (http://www.passhe.edu/inside/anf/budget/Lists/test/AllItems.aspx - broken link)

Pennsylvania also has an additional 14 community colleges that are much cheaper than Vermont's.

For example, Vermont's community college is $214/credit and the community college in my county is only $95/credit.

Tuition & Fees - Community College of Vermont

Tuition & Fees | Community College of Allegheny County

[Hopes]

This is interesting and relevant:

The cheapest college in Vermont, in terms of cost per credit hour, is currently the Community College Vermont (CCV). CCV is the most expensive community college in America.

Vermont’s 60 Percent “Solution” by Daniel Luzer | Washington Monthly